Chapters 13-14

Chapter 13: discusses the decrease in readers' confidence and excitement as they become middle school and high school readers. Beers presents many different ways in which teachers can increase the confidence level, and create life-long readers. The topic that most interested me was the idea of stance versatility. I have heard of the continuum concerning efferent vs. aesthetic reading. Beers presents a new option in which the teacher encourages students to be able to answer the questions on the review sheet (efferent purposes), but then shift to a more aesthetic stance of reading (becoming engrossed in the story, etc.). I agree that we as teachers need to encourage life-long reading, not just classroom reading. Students need to be able to see value in what they read, and still know how to answer certain questions. Beers shows a lot of different types of questions that encourage personal response to the text. Most of these questions do not require a right or wrong answer, but simply give students the opportunity to reflect and explain their opinions of the text. I think this is a great way to show students that it is not about the facts they understand, but what lies underneath the text. I could definitely see this helping in the confidence level of young adult readers.

Chapter 14: This chapter talks about finding the right book for reluctant readers. I found this chapter very helpful in that Beers lists traits of both fiction and non-fiction books that are geared towards the interests of reluctant readers. I think it would benefit all teachers to have that small section of the book as a reference. There are seven suggestions of ways in which teachers can encourage students to read more often. Here are three that caught my eye:

Suggestion #2: Read and Tease.

I remember teachers doing this when I was in school. Not as often in middle and high school, however. I think this is an excellent idea! Students are able to hear the text for a few chapters, and it peaks their interest in what is going to happen next. This way, they are not overwhelmed by the words themselves, but are trying to understand the story behind those words. I agree that teachers need to continue to read aloud as the students get older. It makes a big different if students can hear inflection, and hear an example of how the story is interpreted.

Suggestion #3: Create Book Jacket Bulletin Boards.

I always look at the cover of a book before I dig in to see what the story is about. It would have been so neat to have a teacher who took the time to create a collage of book jackets. It would have made me wonder what those books were about. I think this is a wonderful idea, because it is another way to intrigue young struggling readers, and create an environment in which the multiple genres and topics of books can be at your fingertips. It also encourages students to read books that interest them!

Suggestion #5: Create a Good Books Box.

I love this idea! It gives students options, and a little sense of power of what they read. Also, having it located in the library encourages the students to go back to the school library! I think it would also peak students' interest, and the news of the Good Books Box would spread quickly. I also like this idea because it narrows down the options for students. School libraries can be overwhelming for kids, and they don't search for books because they don't feel confident in their ability to find them. This idea shows students where to find "good books".

Chapter 10

Chapter 10 discusses ways to help students grow in automaticity and fluency. The chapter starts off by defining these words. Beers says that automaticity is the reader's ability to recognize words without conscious decoding. This leads to fluency, which is the ability to read smoothly and easily at a good pace with good phrasing and expression. When students are able to utilize both of these skills, their comprehension improves as well. Beers lists a few suggestions in which teachers can improve fluency and automaticity in the classroom:

Suggestion 2: Give Students Varied Opportunities for Hearing Texts

I found this section interesting because I do not think teachers present enough opportunities for students to hear the text being read to them. I definitely saw how helpful this can be while being involved in the Clinical Practicum this summer. We read together chorally, and also did paired reading. I could see a big increase in the students' fluency the more they practiced. We also did a read-aloud every day. I remember when I was a student, I loved it when my teachers would read aloud. I agree with Beers in that this tool can allow students to hear inflection/prosody, and get an idea of the phrasing that's involved in reading.

Suggestion 3: Teaching Phrasing and Intonation Directly

I thought it was interesting that she suggests a method so direct. But I do see how it could help students to practice by reading aloud, and creating an inner dialogue with the text. I like that there are different types of punctuation involved. This way students can see how one period or question mark can change the phrasing of the entire sentence, and apply that to when they read silently.

Suggestion 5: Prompt, Don't Correct

I think teachers probably struggle with this more than the other suggestions. It's very tempting to just tell the student the answer and move on, but Beers makes a good point in saying that telling just encourages more dependence. If we want our readers to be independent, we have to prompt them and guide them rather than simply fixing it for them. Plus, it gives the student a sense of ownership when you say "read that again", and they are able to correct their mistake.

Chapter 9

Chapter 9 is focused on Vocabulary Instruction, and mentions a variety of methods in which teachers can make vocabulary an interesting element.

Suggestion # 3: Teach Word Parts - I would definitely use this in a classroom. In particular, this section mentions an activity called "Vocabulary Trees". I like this idea because it is a fun way for students to learn about root words, and think about how word parts impact the entire word. I especially like the idea of a class tree, where students can add words as an entire class. I think if teachers took more time to teach the parts of a word, students would have a better understanding of why certain words are spelled certain ways, and why they mean what they mean.

Suggestion # 4: Turn Vocabulary into a Word Hunt -- I like this idea, because it gives students a sense of ownership over the words they find in a specific book. I could see it building struggling readers' confidence in that they are noticing certain words. The bookmark would help with this tremendously. Also, this activity would create a classroom environment where students are talking about word parts and the context of the words.

Suggestion #7: Read Aloud and Use SSR -- I like this suggestion because it does not put one of these ideas over the other. While I find reading aloud to be extremely effective, I think SSR has its place as well. I like that she gives suggestions of ways to use that time to continue to help students ( conferencing, discussing reading progress, work on phonics or spelling, etc). I could see using read alouds at the beginning of a unit (reader's theatre, etc), and having students read to themselves at the end. I think each of these serves a certain purpose. If you have readers who are lacking in confidence, I think readers theatre would be a great way to slowly build their confidence in reading aloud. I really like that it gives students time to rehearse and feel comfortable before reading in front of people. That practice has built-in repeated reading as well. I think paired reading has a place too! Students who struggle with reading can find a partner who is encouraging, and supports them as they read. I think this would be very effective in my future classroom :).

Chapter 5, 7, & 8

Chapter 5 talks about helping students make inferences in the texts they read. I think the most interesting part of this chapter was that she lists very specific types of inferences the students can make, and posts them up on the wall in her classroom. I think this illustrates just how in need struggling readers are of specificity. I was definitely guilty of this -- teachers can easily overlook the specifics and assume that the students know exactly what they are talking about. This chapter basically states that choosing to be vague and general in teaching sets you up to fail in the end. Teaching is modeling and guiding, and if we cannot do that, we are not doing our jobs as educators. I also like the idea of students making notes and marking all over the text as they search for inferences; it turns it into a hands-on type of learning.

Chapter 7 discusses different during-reading strategies that you can use to help students construct meaning. A quote that I found interesting was:

" All this thinking is really the whole point of reading. I mean, if you aren't thinking it, you aren't reading it."

- Dede

I thought this was great way to wrap up the purpose of reading, and the whole purpose of the chapter. Beers talks about how when struggling readers read, they do not hear or imagine the story happening in their head; there is no internal dialogue. I definitely can see that being the cause of many readers' problem with reading -- they don't enjoy it, because they can't follow the story! There were a few strategies that stuck out to me in this chapter.

One was double-entry journals. I like that this strategy allows students to "take notes", but then also think about it in their own terms. I think this could also be a way for the students to reread the text, but on their notebook paper. It also could allow students to make connections with their lives or other texts, etc.

Another strategy was the many purposes for sticky notes. She gave the option of the students using sticky notes to flag what they didn't understand or particularly like during reading. I saw another use for sticky notes when I observed a classroom. The teacher had the students take notes of what they viewed was most important in specific chapters of the textbook. She then used those notes to make the test for the students, and the sticky notes served as their study guide. I like how that option gives the students a sense of ownership over their material.

Chapter 8 is about creating opportunities for students to extend meaning through using after-reading strategies. Beers discusses how certain classrooms frustrate her in that the teachers only see comprehension as an end product, and not as a process. These strategies are a great way to encourage the development of meaning throughout the reading process. Here are some of the strategies that I would like to use one day:

SWBS (Somebody Wanted But So) seems like a great strategy to get students thinking about the plot of the story, as well as the character, setting, and main idea. They also can have a sense of ownership over their chart, and what they view as the main events in the story. The students do not have to write a paragraph about the story, but can cut it up into "chunks", which does not overwhelm them as much. I think this could be effective for ESL students as well.

I also liked Sketch to Stretch. This strategy allows students to be creative, while giving them another way to express the meaning behind the text. I have read that this strategy works with ESL students in that they are not as pressured to write in a foreign language, but everyone knows how to draw on some level. Also, working in groups is perfect for that kind of environment in that it creates a fun collaboration between classmates.

Last but not least, I really liked the Save the Last Word for Me strategy. I am very interested in the ESL classroom (if you couldn't tell :) ), and I think reluctant readers would feel much more comfortable in this setting because they can hear what others have to say before having to explain why they chose the passage. Also, conversation is key in an ESL classroom, so they could practice the language as they discuss the passages chosen.

Ch. 4-6

Chapter 4 discusses how to instruct for the purposes of comprehension. The main idea that it presented was to use explicit instruction, and the biggest example the text gave was modeling for the students. I like how specific the text is in presenting questions ... the main one that I probably would have asked myself is " Does Teaching Strategies Mean I Have Less Time to Teach Content?". Beers' answer to this was yes, but she stresses the importance of teaching this way so that students can really improve in their reading abilities. I also thought it was interesting that she said you could still have the workshop structure in a classroom, but use direct instruction through mini lessons, and a very effective way to that is think alouds from the teacher.Using this format means you need to be even more specific in your instruction.

Chapter 5 talks about helping students make inferences in the texts they read. I think the most interesting part of this chapter was that she lists very specific types of inferences the students can make, and posts them up on the wall in her classroom. I think this illustrates just how in need struggling readers are of specificity. I was definitely guilty of this -- teachers can easily overlook the specifics and assume that the students know exactly what they are talking about. This chapter basically states that choosing to be vague and general in teaching sets you up to fail in the end. Teaching is modeling and guiding, and if we cannot do that, we are not doing our jobs as educators. I also like the idea of students making notes and marking all over the text as they search for inferences; it turns it into a hands-on type of learning.

Chapter 6 describes a few pre-reading strategies in depth. My favorite strategy described was Tea Party. I actually went to an ESL breakout session at the reading conference last spring, and Dr. Wilfong included this as one of the strategies to use with ESL students. I think this strategy is great, because it allows students to make inferences, compare and contrast, practice sequencing, and draw on their own prior experiences. I also like it because they can get up and move around the classroom. Having the students discuss the possible story also allows them to think about the elements of a story - plot, characters, setting, etc. I think pre-reading strategies are a great way to have students prepare themselves for the text at hand, and if there is a fun and interesting way to do that, I think it makes all the difference.

Chapters 1-3

These first chapter / introduction discusses the autor's first year experience of teaching, and how she did not know how to answer the question "why can't my child read?" in a parent-teacher conference. It is an introduction to the purpose behind this book -- to serve as a handbook to teachers who need to answer that same question.

I thought the second chapter was very interesting in that it poses the question "what is a struggling reader?", and then talks about our assumptions of what struggling readers look like -- slumped in the far back of the classroom, semi-apathetic and not confident in their abilities. She then makes a great point that all students are different, and some hide their lack of confidence in different ways. She also states that anyone can struggle depending on the text, so the issue isn't the struggle itself but what the reader does when they struggle. How do they attempt to figure out the text? I definitely saw this in my classroom when I taught 7th grade Science and Social Studies. We didn't do a lot of fluency instruction (none, in fact), but I saw a definite lack in enthusiasm when it came to reading abilities. Looking back, I can picture the struggling readers and they all had different ways of showing it in a classroom setting. I definitely feel the same regret that she shows in reflecting on her story with the student George. There were many students that I could have invested in and tried to present their strengths. I can definitely relate to the feeling of simply wanting to survive the year.

I enjoyed the third chapter because it presents the information in a practical way. It describes the needs and characteristics of dependent readers; this will be very helpful when I teach! Page 28 gives different scenarios of students' needs and what teachers need to focus on (if, then ...). Very helpful information. I think overall I am seeing the need to focus on reading in all grade levels, which is contrary to what is assumed and taught in undergraduate classrooms (or at least emphasized much less than content material). I enjoyed reading her different student stories in this chapter; in particular, it illustrated that the fact that "kids can't read" needs to be broken down into specifics -- what can they do, and what can't they do? This will help focus instruction.